Type Royal Marine Barracks In use 1939-Present Owner Ministry of Defence | Controlled by Royal Navy Year built 1939 Built for Admiralty | |
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Occupants 11 Amphibious Trials and Training Squadron | ||
Arromanches Camp is a military installation operated by the Royal Marines at Instow in North Devon located 5.2 miles (8.4 km) south west of Barnstaple, Devon, and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) north east of Bideford, Devon, England.
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History
The site, which was established in 1939, was used as a training facility for troops preparing for the Normandy landings at Arromanches on Gold Beach in June 1944 during the Second World War. In the 1970s the towns of Instow and Arromanches instigated an arrangement whereby families visiting each other's town every other year staying with a host family.
Operations
There site is split into two different areas, firstly the camp where the workshops and accommodation are located and secondly the beach located 1.2 miles (1.9 km) south west which is where the main landing craft are based. The site is occupied by 11 Amphibious Trials and Training Squadron, part of 1 Assault Group Royal Marines, which carries out training for operations which include disembarking from landing craft, wading across a water gap of up to 1.5m (4 ft 6 inches) in depth, an activity known as fording, and arriving at a beachhead. The site is also used for trialling new landing craft: the Royal Marines have been moving away from the use of flat-bottomed landing craft or DUKWs to armed powerboats. The site is available for filming.